Young Fragile Souls and Fading Lights
by FireWhiskyKitten
Summary: Beggars can't be choosers and once in a while you have to take help where you can get it. Draco is asked by the Dark Lord to kill the most powerful wizard alive, Albus Dumbledore. Fearing for his own life and his family's as well Draco falls into a dark and lonely downwards spiral. Leave it to Hogwarts' bookworm to get herself pulled into the mess. (Please review!)


Young Fragile Souls and Fading Lights

Chapter I

For being mid October the Great Hall was cozy as ever. The air smelt like apple cinnamon and the atmosphere was bright. Looking up at the charmed ceiling Hermione noticed all the candles had been replaced by floating jack o lanterns and the night sky seemed to be just above them with thick clouds moving westward.

Looking back down at her plate of mash potatoes with gravy, corn, and chicken Hermione felt her appetite slip. The boys had been going on about Katie Bell's incident for the last three days. They were creating conspiracies that involved pretty much every Slytherin student they had known, mainly Draco. Every time Hermione tried to object or even give a more reasonable explanation she was shot down instantly.

At this point she had pretty much tuned them out. She had spent most of the day in the library working on her advanced rune paper and doing a bit of light reading in an attempt to evade Harry and Ron, at least until they have moved on from trying to play law and order with the Slytherin house. She had decided to eat dinner with them in hopes that the quidditch match tomorrow would have made them ease up on the whole Katie Bell thing, and to her pleasant surprise it did. As she ate she listened to them chatter on excitedly about the Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw game, how bad the weather was suppose to be and even Ron's new broom. Although Hermione hardly had anything to say on those maters she still nodded, smiled, and threw in an occasional phrase. She was happy that things seemed like they were back to normal because spending all day in the library was a tad boring, even for her.

Just as everything seemed to be going great she saw Ron point and Harry jumped out of his seat. Hermione turned her head to see Katie Bell walking into the main entrance. Harry was already half way down the hall by the time Ron had even gotten up. Hermione was about to head down there herself when a flash of silver caught her eye, she spun around to see Draco Malfoy almost sprinting out of the dinning hall and into the corridor. He looked flustered and upset.

Suddenly and with out much thought Hermione took off after him. Not really knowing why she wanted to see where he was going she continued to walk as fast as she could through the great hall. She saw Draco take a sharp turn down a hallway and then he disappeared from sight. Hermione sped around the corner then came to a complete halt. The hallway was empty. She slowly walked down the hall when she heard water running from the boy's bathroom. Before she could think better of it she walked in to the bathroom and peeked around the corner. Draco stood gripping a sink on the far side of the room so tight his knuckles were white, his head was bowed and his fringe was draped over his eyes. Even though she was several yards away from him she could see that he was physically shaking.

_Was he crying?_

Hermione felt herself get goose bumps. She shouldn't be here. What if he turned around and caught her watching him? Not only was this extremely creepy of her considering she was standing in the boys lavatory, but Draco's sharp words could make hell freeze over and she knew he's be furious if she had caught him in this state.

Then it hit her; Harry was right, they were right. It felt like a bucket of ice cold water was dumped over her, she knew she should run as fast as she could back to Harry and Ron and tell them she was sorry and that they were right all along and go with them to Dumbledore's office but she couldn't seem to look away from the crying boy in front of her.

Looking through the mirror on the wall he was standing in front of she could see how red his porcelain coloured skin had gotten and the wet lines running down his face.

Suddenly Draco looked up from the sink and Hermione found herself looking straight into his steel grey eyes. Hermione turned white as a ghost. Her whole mind went blank except for one word: _run. _But she couldn't, it felt like she was frozen staring in to his blood shot eyes.

"Colloporus" Draco muttered still looking through the mirror, with out even touching his wand the giant wood door to the lavatory slammed shut and the door locked with a faint click that echoed through the room.

Panicked Hermione snatched her wand out of her robe and pointed it at him, her arm shaking as if the wand weighed a hundred pounds.

_What was he doing? How did he do that? Help. _

"Draco?" She asked, her voice dripping with fear.

With a sniffle Draco stood up straight and turned around to face her. "Why couldn't you have minded your own business?"

Draco took a step towards Hermione and she took one back.

"Stay back Draco, or I'll he-"

Before she could even finish her sentence Draco whipped out his wand and with out saying a word disarmed her.

"You'll do what?" He spat as he felt himself fill up with rage. The only evidence that he had been crying now was the streaks of dried tears, his features had hardened and Hermione thought he looked out-right deadly. "Hex me? Curse me?"

He took a few more steps towards her until he had her pinned against the door. She tried to push him away with her hands but Draco caught both of her wrists and slammed them into the door and held them there.

"Not so dangerous now are you? You filthy fucking mudblood." He growled.

Hermione couldn't do much else but attempt to writhe away from him. She was in complete panic mood.

_Why is he doing this? Is he going to kill me? Or worse? I need to run. _

Hermione let out a loud blood curling scream which echoed and lingered through the otherwise silence bathroom.

"Shut up" Draco barked, slamming her body up against the door with a loud thud.

The force of her head hitting the door made her dizzy and dazed. She felt herself go a limp and she fought hard against the fuzziness of her vision.

Draco filled with instant regret; he didn't mean to hurt her that bad. Scared about the consequences of what he had just done he let go of her wrists.

"Silencio" Draco whispered as he left her slump to the floor.

Hermione grabbed her head with her hands and to her relief felt no blood. Wondering why he had Draco knelt beside her.

"Look at me," Draco asked pulling her chin up. "Look at me, I don't want to hurt you."

She started to look up at him still a bit dazed.

"This isn't going to hurt" He assured her.

"What isn't going to hu-"

As soon as their eyes had met Draco was in her mind. Before her eyes Hermione could see all of her old memories as if she was watching a movie. She saw her and Ron sitting in front of the common room fire sharing a blanket and a cup of hot cocoa, another flash and she was looking at Harry sitting in the snow crying about the supposed betrayal of his god father, then in one last flash she was transported to the common room again but this time she was sitting around a table away from everyone else with Ron and Harry with the marauders map in front of them as Harry droned on about how he saw Draco follow Katie to the loo and how he had to have been the one to give her the cursed necklace. With a sudden snap she was released from her mind.

Draco who was still knelling gave Hermione a warning look.

"Tell me now Granger, who else knows"

"N-no one." She stuttered.

_What had just happened to her? _

"You're going to tell me that Potter and Weasel didn't tell anyone else?" He asked with a hint of anger.

"He tried to tell but no one believed him." She felt so scared and confused.

How could this have happened to him? His whole life was in fucking pieces, and if the Dark Lord ever found out that Potter was on to him he would not only get himself killed but his whole family. With a panic feeling in his gut he stood up.

_What was he going to do?_

He felt the panic grow in him as he paced a little. He walked over and grabbed her wand.

"Stand up." He demanded in a tone she's never quite heard from him before.

Hermione stood up cautiously studying Draco who was walking back and forth in front of her holding both of their wands. She thought he looked like one of the caged panthers she saw when she went to the zoo with her mum when she was younger with that crazy panic-y look in his eyes.

"Draco please give me my wand back and let me leave" She whispered still trying to find her voice. "I won't tell anyone I promise."

She meant it too, what ever he was dealing with she actually felt a little sorry for him. He didn't seem like a killer, at least not a very good one.

"I don't know what to do." He said allowed, not really talking to anyone in general.

Hermione watched him for a second more, wanting to say something but afraid of setting him off.

"You're going to be okay." She said almost like a question. She had no idea what his mood swings over the last fifteen minuets had been about but she was terrified of him, he was being unpredictable and nothing scared Hermione more.

"Alohomora" He choked out and tossed her wand at her which she caught ungracefully.

_She didn't know anything. Nothing was going to be or has been okay. _

Confused Hermione opened her mouth to say something but before she could even think of anything to say he waved his wand and the heavy wood door swung open, startling her.

"Leave" He half-heartedly commanded.

"Draco, is there anything I can do to help you" She asked.

Why was she such a bleeding heart? He had locked her in the bathroom and thrown a full scale temper tantrum hurting her in the process yet she still stood there wand in hand with the door open asking if she could help him.

"No one can" he said barley louder than a whisper and with that he left down the hallway and out into the courtyard before Hermione lost sight of him.

Confused and traumatized Hermione stood out in hallway where he had left her not sure where to go or what to say to anyone.


End file.
